No Edit #4: Love is between the buns.

Waiting in a restaurant for your perfect date. It might be a dubious and weird date, but it still is a date!

Hurricane Sandy hits the Caribbean

The Surfer's Path 94

Recently during Hurricane Sandy together with friend and photographer Al Mackinnon, we went to an island in the Caribbean. We were unsure of what to expect, but upon arrival we were greeted with endless right hand barrels grinding over a perfect sand bank in warm water, without another soul in sight. In the end, being under the tarp tent in front of the perfect wave, in the buring hot sun surrounded by millions of mosquitoes, turned out to be a trip of a lifetime, and ended up on the cover of  the latest "The Surfer's Path". Look at the article inside for more photos on this trip of waves that might just alter you perception of perfection. 

No Edit #3: Chase of the Kakerleins

No Edit #3: Chase of the Kakerleins from No Edit on Vimeo.

They are in the sand... They are in the water... There's nowhere you are safe from them... Sometimes they might even jump out of your toilet!

No Edit #2: Potatoes, Tomatoes and Surfboards.

No Edit 2: Potatoes, Tomatoes and Surfboards from Alex Botelho on Vimeo.

No Edit #2

Boards don't come from a factory. They're grown in the ground on the beach!

The idea of growing a surfboard on the beach, instead of shaping it in the factory, came from the shaper of ferox surfboards, Octávio Lourenço. His intentions are green, so much that he fantasizes about growing surboards. Until now, there's hasn't been found a seed in Nature that grows into one (maybe some GMO company will make it one day, who knows) but we tried to put together a composition that would represent how that would be in the traditional portuguese farming way. We played in the ground, dough holes and planted surfboards, to put together our surfboard farm on the beach. After picking a ripe surfboard from the farm, giving it use to the point of overuse, the farmer watches his matured growth that took so long to grow, wilt right back into the ocean. Maybe growing a surfboard would take way longer then shaping one, and they would all be in different shapes fairly uncontrollably, but imagine looking out your backyard window and seeing a tree or farm full of surfboards, with one ripe everyday ready to be picked and surfed. Could be fun. Alex Botelho

No Edit #1: Views from the Throne

No Edit 1: Views from the Throne from Alex Botelho on Vimeo.
Because "thinking in Nature is much better than in a public toilet. First of a sequence of videos from No Edit.

Surf Portugal

After a long winter in California waiting for waves, driving thousands of kilometers, sleeping in the cold van and working the hole summer before that to make it possible to be there, it feels really rewarding to get a cover shot at the wave that brought me to California.

Film Supertubos

This is a video from last weekend in Supertubos that my friend João Bracourt filmed and made. Take a look at more of Brek's work here.

Surfline

On the last days in California a clean big swell came in at Mavericks, right before leaving back home to Portugal. That was a great going a away gift. You can take a look at the video here on page 15 of this Surfline article.

Billabong XXL

This winter I spent three months in California waiting for some good waves. Through January and February lost of swells came through to Mavericks. Here's a picture that was taken early January on a clean day that went on the Billabong XXL Monster Paddle Award Photos. Click here to take a further look on page 9.

Video from 3rd and 5th January at Mavericks

This is the video from the first swell of the year at Mavericks on the 3rd and 5th of January. The 3rd was really clean and there was some good waves, but there was A LOT of people out! On the 5th the swell picked up a bit more, but with more wind, fog, and less people. Check it out here.

The Mullet

I went surfing with this mullet a couple of times and people in the water looked at me weird. I was surfing in a fashionable rich area and nobody came close to me, I think they were afraid...

New York

I have always wanted to call a taxi in the middle of a busy street in New York, like you see in the movies. You know in the movie when you see the person trying and trying several times to get a taxi and they keep passing him by? I wanted to try to do that.

So recently I was in New York and I went to a busy street and called taxi. More than one taxi stopped next to me as soon as I raised my hand. I thought that it was a little harder than that. But looking at this picture of the streets in New York you understand that there's enough taxis for everyone!

The beat of Santa Cruz

Here something from Santa Cruz. It was cold up there. You always see something weird, like the guy who pooped in front of my van last time.

Photos

These photos were taken by my friend João Silva on a sunny day at home in Portugal.

Santa Cruz

I've been up in Santa Cruz for a couple of days now. This place always surprises you. You see some original people walking around on the streets. I saw a couple that must of thought that bicycles have too many wheels, so they rode everywhere around town on a unicycle, and a grown up man that still had his blanky and carried it with him everywhere, it was black form dragging it on the floor.

But the most surprising thing I saw was from the front seat of my car. I parked in an indoor parking lot and turned the engine off. I was still sitting in the seat gathering some things, and I look out the windshield and see a man standing right in front of my car. This man had a very worried look on his face. As he stood there, he looked very quickly to the left and the right but he didn't see me sitting in the car. I guess he felt comfortable enough, so he pulled his pants down and squatted to the floor, and he begun to....Well i think you known what he started to do. I couldn't believe that this man was doing his business in front of my car. I wasn't appreciating the view so I tapped on the window of the car... he looked around in surprise but still didn't see me. I tapped again.... and this time the man looked straight into my eyes and saw that I was sitting in the car. I have never seen a man with a more concerned and scared face in my life. He looked terrified!! He pulled his pants up and ran as fast as he could out the parking lot. Poor guy had to pull up his pants half way through his poop time!

San Diego

First few days I headed down to San Diego for some surf. The waves were a little small, but still fun. Plus, its always sunny there and it seems like there's never any wind. Theres just a lot of old guys out there surfing, old enough to be my grandpa, but they catch more waves than I do!

Now, Im heading up north to Santa Cruz, hopefully to find some more waves. Ill keep you posted...

Surfline

First swell at home this winter brought some good waves. Check it out on Surfline's monthly showcase of photos here.

Return of the tomato

I arrived in California and the first thing I like to do when I get here is go to a store and look through all the candy and donuts and hamburgers that you can find here. It all looks so good when you first see it, especially coming from Portugal where you walk into a store and all you see is a dried chouriço, some potatoes or a pack of bolachas maria. But after a while all this food here does makes you sick.

So on Tuesday I bought a chocolate, and won a coupon for another chocolate. So I got a chocolate for free, and that chocolate won me another coupon for a chocolate. I got another chocolate for free, and that one gave me another free chocolate! So I got another chocolate for free!!! No wonder people are fat here...

I still have the same vehicle since last year, and it still looks like a rusty can of tomatoes, but coming back to the tomato can Van brings some memories. Just the smell of this thing reminds me of endless driving through windy roads, but with the reward of great waves at the end. Truth is that this van always got me to where I needed to get to, and i hope it does the same this time. If it doesn't, I'll have some kind of story to tell you soon.

My friend Sergio made this, original soundtrack.

Fish Heads

This was an inspirational song to the young years of my sister, i remember listening to her sing it when i was really young, and i thought she really liked to eat fish heads. So, looking up to my older sister I tried to like fish heads too.

Is there a shark out there?

Ran into this on a foggy morning in Northern California. We dragged it out of the water because it was pretty fresh and still bleeding, and about 10 minutes later we went in. We were sitting in the water really quiet, trying to get the thought out of our minds. It made me keep my feet above the board the hole session!

Until we heard some splashes and something jumped out of the water right next to us! Luckily they were only sea lions. Enough of this, Im getting the heck out of the water!

Chickens

A seagull tried to rob my house today!

I heard a bunch of noise, pots and pans were falling, and marley (my cat), who is the most relaxed living being you can imagine, was running around the house hysterically! When i went to look what it was, there was a seagull flying in my kitchen!!!

Trying the Gopro

Accident at Mavz

Here are some pictures from the accident that happened at Mavericks this January. It wasn't a very big day for Mavericks, but a surprise set came and caught some of the guys out there (including me and Jacob Trette) off guard. Here as link to the interview aswell.

http://blog.swell.com/world/interview-first-responder-from-the-rescue-at-mavs/#comments

Alex Botelho, Portugal to California from Alex Botelho on Vimeo.

New portable facebook

Its better than digital facebook, you can put anything you want on it, post something nice on my wall, or if you dont like me just spit on my wall!

Now that the only thing everyone uses to talk is facebook, i decided to make my own portable facebook to bring with me on the road, since i don't have a fancy cell phone with internet.

Here is a look at the wave we have been surfing somewhere in the Atlantic. I fell on a wave and my board broke, the noose got jammed into the bottom and it must of rolled over the bottom because it was full of holes. It was pretty shallow at some points. After a couple of days there i busted my butt on one of those pointy rocks, and i had three but cheeks on my butt from the swelling! I was walking around like and old lady for 4 days before i could surf again!

Surfing at Dogs Beach

Não vás fazer snowboard durante uma surftrip!

Ao ver a previsão das ondas sem sinal de ondas para os próximos dias, resolvi passar dois dias nas montanhas a fazer snowboard.

Enquanto subia as montanhas e via elas cheias de neve a excitação começa a subir. Já só queria era estar a descer os montes o mais rápido possível! O tempo todo a pica para entrar pela neve a dentro vai acumulando, mais e mais, e quando chegou o momento para descer o primeiro monte estava tão excitado que nem conseguia controlar o que andava a fazer.

Meti o snowboard debaixo do pês e pensei: Oh eu já sei fazer isto! Fui descer um monte a direito e entrei logo pelas arvores a dentro, despenquei-me no meio do monte e fui de reboleta no meio das arvores! Já nem fazia ideia para onde é que era a pista.

Mas isto não foi só uma vez! Passei os dois dias inteiros tão excitado sem me conseguir controlar, a descer os montes para dentro das arvores, a cair com o cu no chão, com a cara no chão, com as costas no chão, com a barriga contra uma arvore, a enfiar a cabeça na neve que nem um palito, a ir contra pessoas, a ir contra os postes, e mais, e mais e mais. Acho que não houve nenhuma superfície do meu corpo que não foi espancado contra qualquer coisa! Se desse para ver eu a descer o monte de um avião, eu ia parecer um objecto a rebolar brutalmente pelo monte abaixo a levar coisas pela frente no meio das outras pessoas que elegantemente deslizavam pelas pistas abaixo.

No final destes dois dias eu parecia uma sardinha ressequida ao sol colado no chão da lota num dia de calor. Estava com tantas dores no corpo! Eu cai tantas vezes, que cada vez que eu não caía fazia um berro qualquer de contentamento! E isto é porque não se deve fazer snowboard durante uma surftrip. Vai aqui um video com as as quedas durante duas descidas que tinha a camera a filmar, se tivesse filmado todas acho que a camera já não estaria num pedaço só.

Dont go snowboarding on a surftrip. from Alex Botelho on Vimeo.

Portugal to California, Drum & Bass version

Alex Botelho, Portugal to California (Drum & bass) from Alex Botelho on Vimeo.

No waves, there's time for drawing

Driving down

Quando passei por Santa Cruz estava a haver o campeonato da Volcom, aquilo parecia mais uma festa do que um campeonato. Era um monte de pessoal todo á volta das tendas com um churrasco, a comer hamburgers, hotdogs and quesadillas! E as ondas não estavam nada más.

E encontrei um alguém para me dar companhia na viagem. Era um gajo preguiçosoe friorento... mas era porreiro.

A estrada que apanhei para sul foi a highway 1, vai mesmo encostada ás falésias e ao mar, é muito bonito, mas se sais fora da estrada cais 40 metros no ar para dentro de água. Ah e demora 40 vezes mais do que a estrada normal. Mas ás vezes pelo caminho olhavas para baixo das falésias no meio do nevoeiro e via-se umas ondas...

Estou no Sul em San Diego, sabe tão bem ter água um pouco mais quente! No caminho deu para dar uma surfada em Trestles e mais uns spots. Até logo!

Alex Botelho entrevista na Surftotal

Está aqui a entrevista com a Surftotal depois do primeiro swell da época. Vejam aqui.

Swell at Mavericks

Aqui vão algumas fotos do primeiro swell em Mavericks.

Esta foto em que estou prestes a enterrar os cornos na água, foi a onda em que torci o pescoço. Não consegui penetrar a água e fui a fazer peixinho pelo face da onda.

A prancha com que surfei foi uma 9.8. Ferox, shape do Octávio Lourenço. Passamos muito tempo a procurar informação sobre o shape para esta prancha, o Octávio passou muito tempo a trabalhar nela, e acabou por funcionar muito bem. Foi esta a prancha.

No fim da surfada isto era o que sobrava de meses de trabalho. A onda não dá hipoteses quando acerta na prancha.

Enquanto espero a chegada de outro swell, ando a descer a costa da California para o sul, onde está um pouco mais quente. A vida de tendeiro na carrinha com este frio é dura!